RallyNorth.net

The Norton Wall

Tuesday, September, 04 By John Shimer
Staff writer

For the next three years, one brother-sister tandem will determine how well the Triton boys and girls soccer teams finish. Dan and Jenna Norton each will attempt to swat and deflect away as many shots into the marshes of Byfield as each fills the role of starting goalie on their respective varsity teams.

Only a sophomore, Dan burst on to the scene at the end of last year when he was called to fill in for injured starter Andrew Murray. His introduction was a penalty kick against Wilmington that would virtually determine whether or not the Vikings would make the state tournament.

Norton saved the shot to preserve the 1-1 tie. Two games later, he repeated the feat in another do-or-die situation when he saved a penalty kick against Pentucket in the first round of the state tournament. The Vikings would eventually fall, 1-0, ending their season, but Norton's heroics kept them in the game.

"I don't think he had time to think about the first PK, so he really didn't have time to be nervous," said his coach Brad Smith. "It was just a situation where he was called off the bench and he had to go in and make a play."

"The kid just has a total Clark Kent personality, quiet, unassuming, but also intense," Smith said of his young netminder, who will split time with junior Ben Cross. "And when he goes into the goal he wears that T across his chest with confidence."

Looking to follow in his footsteps on the girls side will be Dan's younger sister, Jenna. The freshman has already won the starting job in preseason, and her coach expects her to make a big impact this season.

"The best thing you can say about Jenna is that as a freshman she is a worker and she doesn't take her skill for granted," coach Dan Boyle said. "She works as hard in practice as she has in the scrimmages, and the thing you really like to see is that she takes it personally whenever she is scored on.

"She sacrifices herself for the team, like today's practice when the sprinklers came on creating a mud pit in our goal area, there she was diving around getting down and dirty to keep the ball out of the goal."

Both Nortons have played at high level up through the youth system as each played in net for North Shore United. Each coach had a similar assessment of their Norton goalies; technically sound, coachable, yet quiet.

"My captains did a great job of helping me get settled into the varsity game a year ago," Dan said. "I think the key for both Jenna and myself is to continue to stay confident in our abilities. It is great to see her already up at this level, she really put in the work and deserves a lot of credit."

As Dan was acclimated to the varsity level season ago, Jenna is now going through that same adjustment phase. "The shots are just much harder than I was used to dealing with in the past, but our week of camp up at Keene State really helped me get prepared for the season," Jenna said. "I also got a lot of individual attention that enabled me to work on techniques and game situations with the older girls, which was also quite helpful.

With Triton breaking in three new starters on defense this season, Boyle said he hopes Jenna will quickly establish herself as one of the team leaders despite being a freshman. "Her position calls for her to be a leader, she can see the whole field from goal, and she needs to lead the troops," Boyle said. "The entire team is trying to stop our opponent from scoring, but ultimately that responsibility falls on her shoulders. However, with her back in goal I think it makes us a much tougher out this season."

"I know I am a little shy, and it is somewhat difficult ordering around our seniors and older players, but I am getting used to it," said the freshmen. "However, that's nothing compared to trying to yell out instructions with your mouth-guard in, half the time no one can understand me. In all seriousness though, I think we will surprise some people this season and have a pretty good year."